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Royal St. Andrews Hotel ranked one of the top five in SA

The Royal St. Andrews Hotel in Port Alfred has been ranked fourth among the TripAdvisor 2017 Travellers Choice top 25 hotels in South Africa less than two years after reopening. A multi-million rand investment by owner, Martin Bekker, transformed the historic ten-room Royal St Andrews Lodge built in 1924 into a 60-room up-market hotel and conference centre which blends tradition with modern design.

To share the top five ranking with the likes of the Oyster Box in Umhlanga Rocks, the Kapama River Lodge in Limpopo and Cape Grace in Cape Town is a real boost for tourism in Port Alfred,” says Bekker.

“The fact that we enjoyed over 60 per cent occupancy during our second December season since opening shows that there is a demand for up-market accommodation in Port Alfred,” says Benson.

He believes that the ranking will attract more tourists to the Sunshine Coast. “When people see the ranking, one of the first things they do is to find out what there is to do in the vicinity of the hotel. “That is when travellers discover – or rediscover – just how much there is to do in Port Alfred and surrounds,” says Benson.

Having an up-market hotel in the town is also helping it to secure corporate events such as car launches and conferences.

It is also home to three restaurants – the Highlander pub catering for the whole family, the fine dining Thistle Restaurant and the Paper Nautilus Deli, which has become a favourite breakfast and function venue in Port Alfred. The Thistle is among a handful of Eastern Cape restaurants to be featured in the 2016 Diners Club Winelist Awards, with a platinum award.